Let’s Settle Some Hand Washing Facts Before We Touch Another Thing Today.

To the lady with the bumper sticker "I Love Labradoodles" that also loves picking her nose at pump 6 at the HEB  in Austin, you inspired this blog so thank ya.  What a coincidence that the peak time of 

 the flu season is also the holiday season time. With so many more people traveling for family and fun, germs tend to mix and mingle in. 

So let’s settle some hand washing facts and myths before we touch another thing today.

Is Soap Or Hand Sanitizer Better?

Nothing beats actually using water to lather soap to wash hands, but sometimes water and soap isn’t always accessible. If you’re choosing to use a ​hand sanitizer, make sure it is at least 60-70% ethyl alcohol based. If choosing hand soap, go with an antibacterial soap.
It’s all about the level of dirt on your hands. I mean if your hands are visibly dirty then nothing beats soap and water method. If you however have just touched the ⛽️ gas pump, then alcohol based 60%-70% hand sanitizer will do.

How long should you take to wash your hands

Most of us can recall the old saying to sing the Happy Birthday song twice to actually get your hands clean. This still sings true to this day. 😉 Keep in mind that the song shouldn’t start till you’ve got the water and soap lathered together to work..... now sing 🎤 for 20 seconds and rinse.

Hot warm or cold water to wash your hands

Germs stick to our hands because of the natural oils our skin produces.
Hot water is going to remove oils from your hands better than cold water. It is however not proven if either hot water or cold water is best.
Either way we know that water is a must at removing any dirt and warmer water always helps remove dirt faster so I’m going to stick with hot (water) not scalding.

How long does hand sanitizer last on hands?

Shocking fact that hand sanitizer only lasts about two minutes. You also have to make sure you’ve applied enough to actually make your hands wet and not just damp. Seems like a short amount of time, but a lot can be passed in two minutes. You touch the gas pump of someone who has the flu. Then you touch your door handle. That’s usually less than two minutes, so why not take advantage of a few dabs of hand sanitizer.

Air dryers in bathroom

Run from air dryers in the bathroom. Hot air dryers blow all sorts of germs back onto your hands. Just think 🤔bacterial 🦠 splatter in a hot area. Yuck. Paper towels are your best friends as to not spread or reapply germs.

When we provide cleaning services in Austin we always make sure to wear our gloves, but that doesn't stop the spread of germs at all.  I try to keep small hand sanitizers in each company car but that doesn't stop germs either.  We can't stop the spread of germs but we can at least be mindful, especially during the holiday season of hand washing etiquette.